Optimization of the thermal-optical performance of a PCM-integrated thermochromic glazing system

Abstract

Facades that employ adaptive technologies have shown great potential in enhancing building energy efficiency. This study investigates a novel phase-change material integrated thermochromic glazing (PCM-TCG), and applies it on skylights of an exhibition building in Shanghai. Thermal performance and daylighting performance of the building were analysed using Fluent and Grasshopper/Honeybee respectively and they were optimized through Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II. It was found that on summer solstice and winter solstice, the optimized solution provided an excellent trade-off between thermal and daylighting performance, reducing the total energy demand by 88% and increasing the daylighting satisfaction time by 5 hours compared to low-E glazing on summer solstice and winter solstice.